The Soda Pop Blog

A Look At Soda Mecca

2011-07-18T09:33:00.000-04:00

While I have perused their online presence, I have never had the absolute pleasure of visiting Galco's. One of these days I hope I get to make the trip and see it with my own eyes and come out with a gross of new sodas. Until then, I'll make do with this wonderful short movie.

Dublin Dr. Pepper Being Sued By DP/Snapple Group

2011-06-30T14:31:00.002-04:00

In a true travesty of justice the Dr. Pepper/Snapple group are suing fan favourite Dublin Dr. Pepper for myriad reasons. They don't like the fact that Dublin Dr. Pepper (the Original DP) shows up in distinctive bottles and is sold through the internet and beyond the corporate region they've deigned to proffer for the Dublin DP bottler. Here's hoping that this is resolved quickly, and in favour of the good folks in Dublin! Not only is their product superior to the mass produced swill that DP/Snapple usually turns out but it's an original and deserves respect.
http://www.nbcdfw.com/the-scene/food-drink/Dr-Pepper-Sues-Dr-Pepper-124675289.html
And here is the response to the lawsuit from the folks at Dublin.
http://www.dublindrpepper.com/news.aspx?id=70

If you're on Facebook they have an "I Support Dublin Dr. Pepper" Page here.

Sierra Mist Getting A Makeover

2010-09-07T19:18:00.000-04:00

Here's some good news on the Soda front. Sierra Mist is getting a complete makeover and they're going to ditch HFCS entirely. Sugar will now be their go to sweetener in the Lemon-Lime Soda. Sweet! I happen to like a Sierra Mist every now and again and can't imagine that this will be anything but a significant improvement. Way to go PepsiCo!

PepsiCo is eliminating Sierra Mist in favor of Sierra Mist Natural, which is sweetened with sugar instead of high-fructose corn syrup. The move, which has been in the works for about 18 months, is two-fold. Research showed that brand loyalty in the lemon-lime category is lower than it is in the cola category. And the natural food and beverage category is exploding.

Can't wait to see this hit the shelves. Now, if they'd just put it in glass bottles....

Dr. Pepper Bringing Back The Sugar!

2010-07-10T19:14:00.002-04:00

Good news on the Soda Front! Dr. Pepper's getting a makeover and it involves getting rid of High Fructose Corn Syrup and replacing it with Yummy, Tasty Sugar!
Sure, it's only for a limited time, but you can sure stock up on it while it's on the shelves! The AP also reports that they're going to do a sugared version of Sierra Mist, as well! Hurrah!

From Google News :

NEW YORK — Dr Pepper is prescribing some sugar this summer in honor of its 125th anniversary, the latest in a series of moves by soda makers to temporarily swap out high fructose corn syrup.
The spicy soda made by Dr Pepper Snapple Group Inc. is rolling out Dr Pepper "Made With Real Sugar" this weekend through early September.
Cans and bottles will feature old logos in the company's deep red, and colorful designs with lions and bright swirls of color harkening back to the 60s. Popular phrases such as "I'm a Pepper" also appear.
There are six different can designs. The company wanted to bring back the sugar version to help highlight its past, which dates to the creation of Dr Pepper by pharmacist Charles Alderton in Waco, Texas, in 1885.

------------------------------------------------------------

More could be coming. PepsiCo's Sierra Mist line will now be reformulating into a sugar-sweetened version called "Sierra Mist Natural," according to a report Thursday by trade publication Beverage Digest. PepsiCo, based in Purchase, N.Y., did not return messages seeking comment.

Read the entire article. Here's hoping that replacing HFCS with Sugar becomes a full blown trend!

Cokes Latest Hi Tech Gadget

2009-08-06T16:15:00.004-04:00

Coca~Cola is planning on introducing a new type of soda fountain,, the Coca Cola Freestyle. It will host around 100 flavours of Coke branded Soda's and Barq's Root Beer. This is ingenuity at its best and I certainly am looking forward to the day one comes to a spot near me. I'll be a frequent guest!

We can look forward to a rollout in 2010. I can't wait. Peach Sprite sounds pretty tasty.

Technorati Tags:
Coke, Coca~Cola, Fountain Drinks

Yet Another Soda Tax

2009-05-12T16:32:00.002-04:00

First it was the governor of New York, wanting to raise more money for his dwindling coffers. Now it's the current regime and Obama who want to impose yet another tax on people and their carbonated beverages in order to help him fund his socialised medicine scheme.

Senate leaders are considering new federal taxes on soda and other sugary drinks to help pay for an overhaul of the nation's health-care system.

The taxes would pay for only a fraction of the cost to expand health-insurance coverage to all Americans and would face strong opposition from the beverage industry. They also could spark a backlash from consumers who would have to pay several cents more for a soft drink.

On Tuesday, the Senate Finance Committee is set to hear proposals from about a dozen experts about how to pay for the comprehensive health-care overhaul that President Barack Obama wants to enact this year. Early estimates put the cost of the plan at around $1.2 trillion. The administration has so far only earmarked funds for about half of that amount.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest, a Washington-based watchdog group that pressures food companies to make healthier products, plans to propose a federal excise tax on soda, certain fruit drinks, energy drinks, sports drinks and ready-to-drink teas. It would not include most diet beverages. Excise taxes are levied on goods and manufacturers typically pass them on to consumers.

Senior staff members for some Democratic senators at the center of the effort to craft health-care legislation are weighing the idea behind closed doors, Senate aides said.

The Congressional Budget Office, which is providing lawmakers with cost estimates for each potential change in the health overhaul, included the option in a broad report on health-system financing in December. The office estimated that adding a tax of three cents per 12-ounce serving to these types of sweetened drinks would generate $24 billion over the next four years. So far, lawmakers have not indicated how big a tax they are considering.

Mr. Obama and his bureaucratic cohorts are willing to add a "sin tax" on people who just want a few joyous moments with a frosty non-alcoholic beverage. This is just the opening salvo in his tax and spend health rationing plans. No doubt other onerous taxes lay in wait in the wings to fund this debacle. Fat taxes, fast food taxes, non-organic food taxes, organic food taxes and more are likely to rear their ugly heads, just to fund Obama's "health care" plans.

If they pass this one without resistance we can rest assured that they will see this as a sign of weakness and will rush to impose even more taxation measures. That's just the way these people work. Give them an inch and they want a mile. It's only a few cents, right? It's always a few cents here and there, and then pretty soon it's a whole dollar. Every soda you buy today already has embedded taxes in it that the companies have to pass along to the consumer. Fuel taxes, local, state and federal taxes, payroll taxes and a wide variety of incremental taxes that range from local to the federal levels. The politicians are counting on us not caring about " a few cents more". Well, I care.

You should, too. This taxation will be used to fund government controlled medicine. It doesn't work anywhere else in the world, why would we think that a Chicago politician would be able to do any better than anyone else? I certainly don't want the government controlling and rationing health care. They do a lousy job of it already and are more than partially responsible for most of the problems that we do see in our current system. No thanks. Keep your hands of my health care and my little pleasures in life.

Technorati Tags:
Taxation, Obama, Root Beer, Soda, Libertarian

Sugar Gaining Ground

2009-02-20T16:39:00.003-05:00

Add Snapple to the list of drinks abandoning HFCS for Sugar. Yeah, I know it's not a beautiful, fizzy beverage, but it's a sign of the times and it is owned by Dr Pepper.

Snapple, once the “official beverage of New York City,” is being redesigned — inside and out — this year.

The popular iced teas are losing the high-fructose corn syrup and the dated font. The bottles are becoming more svelte (to better fit into cup holders, which became a force after Snapple iced teas were originally introduced). The labels will also emphasize the green and black tea leaves used to make the drink. The changes are rolling out over the first few months of the year, and they are expected to hit New York in early March, according to Dr Pepper Snapple Group, which is now the owner of the brand.

Snapple, which once defined the genre of specialty tea, now finds itself fading in an increasingly crowded field of competitors. The brand, which passed through many hands before landing as part of Dr Pepper Snapple, went through a round of focus group testing over the last two years.

“Through that work we really found that Snapple had lost of its luster and had been replaced in the minds of consumers by other beverages out there,” said Jim Trebilcock, an executive vice president with Dr Pepper Snapple.

(For example, President Obama prefers (the more lightly sweetened) Honest Tea, and the White House is now stocked with his favorite flavors, Black Forest Berry and Green Dragon.)

Real sugar is replacing the corn syrup. (Sugar vs. corn syrup, by the way, is the difference between Mexican and American Coca-Cola.) In some cases, that has actually resulted in a decrease in calories.

The old ingredient list for Lemon Snapple Iced Tea: “water, high fructose corn syrup, citric acid, tea, natural flavors.” Calories: 200. The new ingredient list: “filtered water, sugar, citric acid, tea, natural flavors.” Calories: 160.

Now if only Coke and the other people out there would hop on the train.

Technorati Tags:
Snapple, Sugar, Soda, News

Pepsi and Mt. Dew To Go Retro

2009-02-16T19:41:00.004-05:00

Coming in April Pepsi Bottling Ventures will introduce two new items, Pepsi Throwback and Mountain Dew Throwback. Both of these will be formulated using Sugar instead of HFCS. About time they did something like this. Now if others would only follow suit. Kudos to PBV!

This year also brings some new introductions, graphics and packaging innovations from PepsiCo, for which the company has high expectations. In CSD flavors, PBV will add Mountain Dew Voltage, which was the winning flavor in the brand’s Dewmocracy campaign. In the middle of April, PBV also will begin distributing Pepsi Throwback and Mountain Dew Throwback, which features those brands formulated with sugar. For the flagship PepsiCo brands, Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Mountain Dew and Sierra Mist, PBV also is beginning to distribute the brands featuring their new redesigned graphics and packaging, which is part of a holistic campaign aimed at drawing in younger consumers. PepsiCo also is launching a new advertising campaign with the release.

Technorati Tags
Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Sugar, Soda, News

Repent Soda Sinners

2009-01-31T12:41:00.000-05:00

Apparently, the governor of Massachusetts thinks that those of us who like to consume a few "empty calories" via a Root Beer or Soda are sinners and in need of additional taxation. It's yet another, in a long line of attempts at behaviour modification by the powers that be to encourage us to act and consume the way they wish us to. At the same time these nanny staters want to fill their coffers by taxing the population segment that they wish to modify.

When Governor Deval Patrick proposed a 5 percent premium on sugary treats this week, his administration presented it as a sin tax with a bonus: Imposing such a levy, a briefing paper pledged, "is a critical first step in discouraging the consumption of these empty calories."

Thankfully, I am not a resident of Taxachusettes, nor am I likely to ever be, but the innocent people who like a good Soda, or one of the excellent regional Root Beers have to bear the burden of these nonsensical do-gooders. Enough is enough, isn't it? Once upon a time there were some Bostonians who had the courage to protest a tax increase on their beverage of choice. Where are those people now? If you won't protest a 5% tax on your Soda or Root Beer then what will you speak out against? Very little, it seems.

Technorati Tags:
Taxation, Root Beer, Soda, Massachusetts

Shame On PepsiCo!

2009-01-03T17:49:00.004-05:00

Looks like the Pepsi Company is suing a company for importing and selling a better version of their product.

PepsiCo says a metro Atlanta company is illegally distributing a Mexican version of its soda in Georgia, according to a lawsuit pending in federal court.

PepsiCo, the beverage and snack foods giant based in Purchase, N.Y., alleges in the lawsuit that Clayton Distributing Co. violated trademark laws, committed fraud and engaged in unfair and deceptive trade practices by distributing Mexican Pepsi in the United States.
Clayton Distributing has not been authorized to distribute the Pepsi product, Pepsi said in the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Atlanta.

The Mexican product also is not intended for distribution in the United States, the company said. The labels do not comply with Food and Drug Administration or PepsiCo standards for the United States and the product could deteriorate during shipping.

“The Mexican product is neither authorized nor intended for exportation out of Mexico,” Pepsi said in its filing.

The lawsuit was filed Dec. 17. The court records do not show a response yet by Clayton Distributing. Clayton lists Austell as its principal office and Kennesaw as the address for its registered agent.

This is hardly the way to treat brand loyalty. Customers want something that you're not willing to provide, a product sweetened with Cane Sugar and not with that foul tasting HFCS. Here's a hint, Pepsi. Back off and let your customers have what they really want, even if you refuse to meet that market need. This is obviously what they want. I notice that I haven't seen the Coca~Cola company doing this to people who distribute their Mexican product.Maybe there's a model there for you to emulate?

Technorati Tags:
Pepsi, Cane Sugar, Mexico

Soda, Pop Or Coke

2008-09-16T12:44:00.006-04:00

When I was growing up in the South it was not odd to have an aunt or a friend or someone utter the words, "Let's go get a Coke". It didn't mean that I had to end up with a Coca~Cola product, either. In fact it was more likely that I'd end up with a Barq's, Nehi or other yummy bubbly beverage. My aunts would almost inevitably get an RC or Dr. Pepper. The fact that it was also pronounced "Cocola" made no difference, either. It was just what all soda water based drinks were (and likely still are) called in the South.

Well, the folks at The Pop vs. Soda Page have popped back up onto the radar again with their excellent map on the subject of what our favourite beverages are called by region. I was surprised to see that in my current region the Southern "Coke" is more common than Soda or Pop. Must have been an influx of Southerners into the region at some point in the past. Interesting.

Of course, where I grew up, if you wanted a Root Beer you asked for a Barq's. Just because it was the best on the market.

Technorati Tags:
Soda, Pop, Coke, Root Beer

A Fine Trio

2007-10-03T14:32:00.000-04:00

Well, the good folks at Shipyard have done it again. This time they've come out with a trio of new Sodas that really set the bar higher for everyone else. Capt'n Eli's Sodas have been expanded with three new flavours, Strawberry Pop, Lemon Lime Pop and Orange Pop. These three new offerings really shine in the flavour category, too. Each of these Sodas brings a unique new twist on an old standard and they do it with style.

First up is Capt'n Eli's Strawberry Pop. It has a delightful strawberry candy scent that is delivered with a fine effervescence that serves to punch up the flavours with a nice bite. The taste is not like any other strawberry Soda which I've had. It is reminiscent of Jello, but with a much better taste. The flavour is altogether nice and is enhanced by the cane sugar sweetness. This Soda is well balanced in the sweet and tart area, but I almost found myself wishing for just a hint more tartness in it.

There's a nice artificial Strawberry and sugar aftertaste that doesn't detract from the experience. It is highly drinkable and I really wanted another one after I was finished. It's just that good.

Ingredients:
Water
Cane Sugar
Natural and Artificial Strawberry Flavors
Red 40
Citric Acid
Sodium Benzoate

Capt'n Eli's Strawberry Pop gets an 8/10!

Next we have Capt'n Eli's Lemon Lime Pop. This Soda starts off with a nice scent of Lemon and Lime, (leaning more to the Lime side). There's a nice, crisp carbonation that adds to the experience. The Lemon/Lime flavour is a great combo that is well balanced all around. The Cane Sugar carries itself well and enhances the overall experience. Neither citrus flavour dominates or is too sharp and you are left with a nice sugary clean aftertaste. It's a well done Lemon Lime Soda, but I was left wanting some more flavour, something a bit more "in your face". Despite that Capt'n Eli's is much better than most of the mass produced Lemon Lime offerings on the market. I especially like the short list of ingredients...that's refreshing!

Ingredients:
Water
Cane Sugar
Natural Lemon and Lime Flavors
Sodium Benzoate

Capt'n Eli's Lemon Lime Pop gets a 7/10!

Last, but most certainly not the least we have Capt'n Eli's Orange Pop. The flavour here is unique and unlike most orange Sodas on the market. It reminds me of a glass bottled orange Soda which was available in Beijing in the late 70's that I was very fond of. All natural and filled with citrus goodness. The scent of this Soda is a nice mixture of orange and tangerine oil like scent. The Soda has a nice colour, too. A nice yellow orange hue that bespeaks its origins, unlike most faux orange Sodas on the market.

The Soda tastes of orange oil and has a slight bitterness to it that combines well with the Cane Sugar. Some might find that bitterness too much, but I rather liked it. It's different in a good way. The carbonation adds a nice little bite to this offering.

Ingredients:
Water
Cane Sugar
Natural Tangerine Flavor
Natural Orange Flavor
Natural Lemon Flavor
Sodium Benzoate

Capt'n Eli's Orange Pop gets a 7.5/10!

All in all these three new Sodas...err...Pops....are a finestkind addition to the Capt'n Eli's line of premium, handcrafted Sodas. You will not go wrong with any of these, nor will you regret spending the money to buy one...or 6.

Technorati Tags:
Shipyard, Capt'n Eli's, Soda

Crushing

2007-07-14T19:57:00.000-04:00

From the same West Jefferson, North Carolina folks who brought you Golden Girl and Sundrop comes yet another classic ,which they have done in the old fashioned premium way. These good folks have produced their version of the venerable old orange Crush. This is not the average, everyday mass produced HFCS version of Crush that we see in the groceries and big box marts. Nope, this is Crush the way it used to be made; with beautiful sugar enhanced flavour and refreshing quality.

This one has pretty much everything you'd look for in an refreshing, orange Soda and it even has a "secret" taste enhancing ingredient which I have not seen listed on any other Soda. The Crush experience starts the moment you open the bottle and encounter the easily identifiable orange Soda scent. There's just nothing else that smells quite like it. The soft carbonation is a nice change. It doesn't add a hard bite, just a refreshing effervescence. The orange Soda flavour is light and not "in your face", in the least. This version of Crush does not rely on a citric acid bite to get its point across either. Instead, it relies on the perfectly sugar flavour and the "secret" ingredient to carry things over. What's the "secret" ingredient? Plain, old fashioned salt. Something you just don't see used in most Soda these days.

This is what Crush is supposed to taste like. Not that mass produced HFCS laden swill that is so prevalent in stores around the country. It has a nice citrus and sugar aftertaste with one of the sweetly, cloying qualities one finds in the usual version of this Soda. It is refreshing and easy to drink. Everything about it is well balanced. If you're in North Carolina and can find this version, buy it. It's just a darned good Soda!

Ingredients:
Carbonated Water
Sugar
Citric Acid
Sodium Benzoate
Gum Acacia
Natural Flavors
Glycerol Ester of Wood Rosin
Yellow 6
Salt
Brominated Vegetable Oil
Red 40

This Orange Crush gets an 8/10!

Technorati Tags:
Crush, Soda

The Royal Treatment

2007-06-24T13:12:00.000-04:00

Well, I just returned from my annual sojourn to the Outer Banks and imagine my surprise when I ran across some bottles of sugar sweetened RC Cola at Island Spice and Wine in Avon, NC. Seems like a long way to go to get a real sugared Cola, eh? Well, I didn't travel half as far as this classic Southern Cola did. Apparently, this RC Cola, (made with real sugar) is imported from Peru of all places. Is it really that hard for an American RC plant to add sugar, rather than HFCS? It must be, judging from the distance this Cola had to travel to reach me.

Regardless of the origins of this classic Southern treat I must say that I was pleased to have come across it. It has a strong, clean Cola scent accented by the fine carbonation. There is a nice bite to the carbonation in this version of RC that enhances the Cola flavour. The sweetness is well balanced and not heavy in the least. There is a bit of a dryness to the taste that I haven't noticed in other Colas, but it does nothing to detract from the experience. It has a nice, sugar sweetened aftertaste with a clean Cola undertone. All in all, this is what a good Cola should taste like and American bottlers should take note. This is RC Cola as it was when I was a kid, minus that heavy geometrically pleasing, many sided bottle. It's too bad I didn't have a Moon Pie.

It's too bad folks can't find this version of glass bottled Royal Crown Cola everywhere. It would certainly be a good seller.

Ingredients:
Carbonated Water
Sugar
Caramel Color
Phosphoric Acid
Caffeine
Natural Flavors
Gum Acacia
Citric Acid

Imported RC Cola gets a 7/10

Technorati Tags:
Soda, RC Cola, Royal Crown

2006-12-05T12:25:00.000-05:00

Imagine my surprise to see that Jones Soda Company is ditching High Fructose Corn Syrup in favour of Pure Cane Sugar, according to a report in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Kudos to the folks at Jones for taking a step in the direction of flavour and product wholesomeness.

Jones Soda Co., looking for a marketing advantage, is making the switch to pure cane sugar from high fructose corn syrup as a soda sweetener.

"It's better for you, it's better-tasting and, overall, it's better for the environment," Peter van Stolk, the company's chief executive officer, said Tuesday.

Hopefully we will see many more Soda and Root Beer manufacturers taking the same decision and getting rid of that nasty sweetener. I was planning on reviewing Jones' Root Beer here, but I think I'll wait until they make the New Year switch to Cane and then contrast their old product with the new. I have never been especially enamoured with Jones' products, due primarily to their use of HFCS and the mediocrity of their flavours. Now, I'm looking forward to tasting their new offerings. Stay tuned!

Technorati Tags:
Root Beer, Jones Soda, Cane Sugar, High Fructose Corn Syrup

Red Rock Cola

2006-09-05T13:02:00.001-04:00

Every so often you come across that's been around awhile, changed hands, been reformulated, reborn and is now back in a limited supply. Such is the case with Red Rock Premium Cola. The Red Rock label has been around since 1885 and their Cola has been in existence since 1938. Today there are only a handful of distributors remaining and the Cola syrup formulation is produced by Sensient Technologies in Indianapolis, Indiana. The bottle of Red Rock I obtained came from Clayton Distributors of Atlanta, Georgia.

As Colas go Red Rock is average. Despite the labels assertion that the Cola has "Just The Right Bite", there isn't a lot of bite to Red Rock. It has a light Cola scent and a decent carbonation that adds a small bite. The Cola flavour has a bevy of undertones ranging from a slight spiciness to woody undertones. There is a nice balance between sweetness and flavour with Red Rock, something other drink manufacturers should take note of.

While there isn't a right amount of bite there is a decent flavour augmented by pure Cane Sugar. Red Rock Premium Cola leaves a nice clean aftertaste that is lightly sweet. All in all it is a well done effort that leaves you wanting something more. It's an average Cola, but not a bad one and you won't be disappointed if you buy one.

Ingredients:
Carbonated Water
100% Pure Cane Sugar
Caramel Color
Phosphoric Acid
Caffeine
Natural Flavor

Red Rock Premium Cola gets a 5/10.

(For an in depth look at Red Rocks history try Soda Traderz by Coke Girl)

Technorati Tags:
Soda, Red Rock Cola, Food

The Apple Of My Eye

2006-08-15T15:28:00.000-04:00

I've had Root Beer, Ginger Beer, Real Beer and now I can add Apple Beer to the list of drinks I have willingly consumed and would consume again! This bubbly beverage was delightful, to say the least. It is decidedly an apple drink and has a refreshing taste. This Soda actually has a bubbly, white wine coloured head to it when poured into your favourite Soda glass. The apple scent it gives off is a nice prelude for what comes next.

The carbonation imparts a bubbly mouthfeel that serves to enhance the Cane Sugar and apple flavour. The taste of sweet, Delicious apples permeates every mouthful of this Soda and makes it a joy to drink. Using Cane Sugar on top of the fruitiness is genius, the combination of the two give it a unique punch that takes this beverage over the top.

As for the ingredients, they just don't get any simpler or to the point. Apple Beer is a prime example of a product which knows the rule of keeping it simple.

Apple Beer is a Soda I will gladly look forward to purchasing again! Yummy stuff!

Take some time to peruse their website, too as they offer up recipes which utilise their product. Now that's versatility!

Ingredients:
Carbonated Water
Pure Cane Sugar
Citric Acids
Natural Flavors
Vitamin C

Apple Beer gets a bubbling 8/10!

Technorati Tags:
Apple Beer, Soda, Food

A Blast From The Past

2006-08-03T17:53:00.000-04:00

Thanks to our comrade in arms, Kirsten I discovered the Internet Archive and a ton of really cool public domain videos. Here's one that truly relates to Soda as we remember it! Enjoy!

I know I do! I think I need a Soda....
I love these old films!

Technorati Tags:
Movies, Soda, Drive-Ins

A Black Eye For Black Cherry

2006-08-02T21:55:00.000-04:00

I happened across a bottle of Virgil's Micro Brewed Black Cherry Cream Soda recently and decided to give it a shot, based on my previous experiences with Virgil's Root Beer and my recent foray into the world of Cheerwine.

The first thing that hits you with Virgil's is a strong cherry scent that is coupled with hints of cane sugar and an almond-like scent. It has a nice soda carbonation, but it doesn't really add anything to the mix. There is a light vanilla taste that does mix very well with the black cherry flavour. The cherry is also a nice black cherry flavour and not a maraschino flavour, that's a nice change from some of the cherry beverages on the market. The almond flavouring is also a major player in the taste of this Soda and, in combination with the others it's not that good a mix.

While the Soda has a creamy mouth feel it manages to leave a sweet, cherry flavoured coating on the tongue that adds up to an unpleasant aftertaste experience. As Black Cherry flavoured Sodas go, Virgil's just isn't up to snuff.

Ingredients:

Purified Carbonated Water
Unbleached Cane Sugar
Vanilla Extract
Black Cherry Flavor
Natural Flavors
Malic Acid

Virgil's Black Cherry Cream Soda gets a 4/10.

Technorati Tags:
Virgil's Black Cherry Cream Soda, Soda, Food

Sundrop On My Shoulders Makes Me Happy!

2006-07-24T14:28:00.000-04:00

Yet another of my OBX acquisitions were 2 bottles of Sundrop. One was the regular Sundrop soda and the other was a bottle of Golden Girl Cola, The Original Citrus Soda. Both were bottled by the good folks at Dr Pepper Bottling of West Jefferson, North Carolina...let me take a minute here to give a great big Thank You! to these good folks for helping me out with my questions about sweetening and the labeling when I called them, (yes, I called them). Both versions of this use the same formulation and neither contain High Fructose Corn Syrup, despite the labeling on the Golden Girl bottle, these two Sodas contain granulated Cane Sugar. That's straight from the mouth of Rob, their head bottler, so take it to the bank!

Now, let's talk about these Citrus Soda's, shall we? Since these are the same formulation you can rest assured that my review of each, (I tasted them about two days apart just to clear my mind on them) was pretty much the same. I noticed only minor differences in taste and those were easily attributable to me, rather than the Soda's.

What hits you first is a decidedly strong citrus Soda scent. Almost a grapefruit like scent. On pouring you're greeted with nice, big bubbled carbonation that ends up adding a nice kick to the citric acid bite. Also, don't get thrown by the bits and pieces of citrus that float in these bottles, it's a natural result of using the Orange Juice Concentrate to craft this drink. It has a bright yellow/greenish hue that is a trademark of citrus Sodas, (anyone know why?) and they use Yellow 5 to get that colour, I can only wonder what the natural colour is.

Sundrop has a nice tart taste and is beautifully tangy, just what I like to see in a citrus based Soda. It's fruity. Both have a sweet and citrus aftertaste that is far from unpleasant. The taste of orange juice concentrate is readily noticeable while drinking and in the aftertaste. As citrus Soda goes Sundrop/Golden Girl both lead the pack in their category. For quality and taste they are unbeatable. This is yet another Cadbury/Schweppes licensed product that is leading the way in the revitalisation of Premium Sodas. Now, if we could just get them to use the same Dr Pepper formula worldwide as they do in Dublin, Texas......

Ingredients:
Carbonated Water
Sugar
Natural Flavors
Orange Juice Concentrate
Sodium Benzoate
Caffeine
Acacia Gum
Yellow 5
Glycerol Ester of Wood Rosin
Brominated Vegetable Oil

Golden Girl Soda/Sundrop get a 9/10!

Technorati Tags:
Sundrop, Golden Girl Soda, Soda, Sugar, High Fructose Corn Syrup
Cadbury Schweppes

"I am not a Frenchie, I'm a BELGIE!"

2006-07-17T13:28:00.000-04:00

That is something that should be extremely obvious with my latest entry. It is Belgian and, like all other things Belgian (like chocolate and pommes frite) it is really too good. During my last foray to Jungle Jim's (on the way back from our Outer Banks vacation) one of the things which I acquired was a Coca~Cola from Belgium, imported by Empire International of Ontario, California. Let me state for the record, if any Coke execs are reading this...Belgian Coke should be the rule for formulation of Coca~Cola. This small bottle of elixir vitae should be the silver standard for all Cokes (not gold, because there just might be a better one out there somewhere). The ingredients are simple. Carbonated water, sugar, caramel colour, phosphoric acid, Coke syrup and caffeine. Even their website is better than the American one. Sheesh!

None of that nasty, unfulfilling HFCS in this 0.2L bottle and I can live with that. While the small size is a personal drawback for me I could get over that if the people in Atlanta would get rid of the HFCS that makes Coca~Cola such a lifeless beverage in comparison to premium beverages on the market, Coke is not a premium beverage and they are missing out on this market niche.

The Belgian variant of Coca~Cola is great. This small bottle needed an opener to get at the contents and it was worth the miniscule extra effort. A beautiful cola scent wafted up out of the bottle letting me know what was in store for me, something missing from US Cokes nowadays. Upon pouring this I was greeted with an effervescent and lively head that let me know that there was a nicely carbonated beverage in the glass. It was crisp and clean.

This product tastes like Coke used to taste before the advent of HFCS into every nook and cranny of the line. Not overly sweet or syrupy, Belgian Coke is actually refreshing, which is something missing from its US made counterpart. The taste is crisp and clean with only a Cola aftertaste, not the often cloying sweet aftertaste of the American product. I really liked this version of Coca-Cola better than the over marketed US brands.

Now for the pitch. If any Coke Execs ever read this I have a pitch for you. Produce a "Coca~Cola Premium". One which uses Cane Sugar and all natural ingredients, organic even. Set a slightly higher price for it than your everyday Coke and we, the fans will come. We will buy a Coca~Cola that tastes like it SHOULD taste. Please, steal my idea! I'm giving it to ya! Produce Belgian Coke in the USA. If you craft it they will come!

Ingredients:
Carbonated Water
Sugar
Caramel Colour
Phosphoric Acid
Vegetable Extracts
Caffeine

Coca~Cola Belgian gets an 8.5/10!

Note: The printed ingredients label from Empire International is inacurate as to the ingredients. There is no citric acid or anti-oxidant in this beverage.

Technorati Tags:
Coke, Coca Cola, Belgium, Soda

Good Time Cheerwine!

2006-07-09T14:07:00.000-04:00

Let me preface this by saying that I do not care for cherry flavoured Soda's, in general. I do like the REAL Dr. Pepper made in Plano, Texas but I dislike Cherry Cokes of any stripe. Such is not the case with Cheerwine, tho! This is a really nice Soda and it makes your tastebuds happy to have gone along for the ride! Cheerwine comes in cans, PET bottles and my favourite...glass. The glass bottles sport the Real Sugar logo and that alone makes it a special treat. It's not mass produced swill relying on HFCS for sweetness.

I picked this one up in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, which figures since the company that produces it is a North Carolinian Company, the Carolina Beverage Company. I'm sure glad I found this bottle of Cheerwine, too. All I had run across until I arrived in Avon, NC and stopped at the BP there, was the Diet version of the drink and I do not do Diet in any form.

The first thing that hits you when you open the bottle is the cherry scent, it's a nice scent reminiscent of maraschino with just the slightest hint of vanilla. The carbonation is nice and bubbly and not a distraction from the Soda. Cheerwine has a nice reddish colour which they term as burgundy on t heir website. I won't disagree too much. It's a nice, pleasant colour and complements the well balanced flavour and sweetness. Cheerwine strikes a good balance between flavour and sweetness, not relying greatly on either to carry the day. It has a light cherry flavour and vanilla tones that make this a pleasure to drink. It makes your tastebuds happy!

The aftertaste is one of sweet cherry with just a hint of what tastes like vanilla. This is vastly superior to other cherry flavoured sodas I have tasted, especially the Cherry Cokes. The bottle even adds to the experience, it is well designed and complements the beverage inside. If you run across one of these do yourself a favour and get one, you won't be disappointed!

Ingredients:
Carbonated Water
Sugar
Caramel Color
Phosphoric Acid
Sodium Benzoate
Caffeine
Citric Acid
Natural and Artificial Flavors
FD&C Red 40

Cheerwine get a whopping 9/10!

Technorati Tags:
Cheerwine, Soda, Outer Banks, North Carolina
Avon

Still Making For "Good Vibrations"

2006-06-25T14:47:00.000-04:00

While making our way back from our recent vacation to the Outer Banks, (where I managed to score more than a couple of Soda's which you'll be hearing about) we stopped at a small gas station just north of Knoxville, TN. I wasn't expecting to find a premium Soda there, but I looked anyway. Well, I must say that I was quite surprised when I did find a premium version of Sunkist Orange Soda. Yes, indeed someone in the marketing department at Dr. Pepper/7Up in Plano, TX (otherwise known as Cadbury Schweppes Americas Beverages) has been paying attention. In the middle of nowhere I came across this glass bottled beauty of an Orange Soda and promptly grabbed a couple up, one for immediate consumption and one for later.

Well, now it is later and here we have it. This is what a good orange Soda should be and people at other companies should pay close attention. Yeah, it's bright orange and has caffeine. Get over it. It's a Soda and it's a darned tasty one at that. Best of all it contains NO High Fructose Corn Syrup! They produced this one using plain, old fashioned sugar and that's always a good thing in my book. This Sunkist, (do not confuse it with the other mass produced version which contains HFCS) is a thirst quencher and tastes like it's supposed to.

The aroma that first hits you is easily ID'ed as Orange Soda smell and the taste is nice and clean. There is nothing cloyingly sweet and the carbonation boosts the citric acid bite to just the right level without making it tart. This is good stuff and it should be the flagship version of Sunkist, not the hard to find premium beverage. I don't mind that they have added caffeine to this Soda, since any boost in the day is a good. My wife consumed more than a bit of Sunkist during her first pregnancy for just that reason. Our firstborn caused his momma to develop a dislike for coffee early on and since she needed caffeine she chose Sunkist. It worked and she was a very grateful grad student!

This version of Sunkist is definitely worth going out and finding. I wish I'd picked up a few more bottles of it myself and I'll certainly be on the lookout for it from now on.

Ingredients:
Carbonated Water
Sugar
Citric Acid
Sodium Benzoate
Food Starch (Modified)
Natural Flavors
Caffeine
Glycerol Ester of Wood Rosin
Ascorbic Acid
Yellow 6
Red 40

Sunkist Orange Soda gets an 8.5/10

Technorati Tags:
Soda, Sunkist, DrPepper/7Up, Food
Cadbury Schweppes, Orange Soda, Sugar

Feel The Heat!

2006-05-16T22:06:00.000-04:00

I am a big fan of Shipyard Brewing's non-alcoholic offerings, especially Capt'n Eli's Root Beer and Sea Dog Root Beer. I was happy when the good folks at Shipyard sent me a sample of their Capt'n Eli's Ginger Beer, since there are no distributors for their products in Central Indiana. Now, I will preface this by saying up front that it is a rare day when I imbibe a Ginger Beer or Ale, it's not a Soda I have ever managed to acquire the taste for. That would be due mainly to my experience with products such as Canada Dry and Schweppes which really lack any character and can best be described as so-so, at best.

Capt'n Eli's is far from so-so. It is one of the new breed of ginger flavoured Sodas that is bold and in your face where taste is concerned, it shares little to nothing in common with the mass produced Ginger Sodas that dominate the market. The moment you crack that bottle open you know what you are in for...something different.

There is a nice aroma of ginger that wafts up out of the bottle as soon as you open it and that scent lingers and spreads once you pour it into a glass. Then comes the inevitable moment of tasting and the Capt'n gets sneaky on you. There is a nice fizz of carbonation and a sweet, easily identifiable Ginger Beer and Cane Sugar taste across your lips and tongue and that's when the good Captain takes you on a Nantucket Sleigh Ride. That ginger you smelled earlier? It waits around and starts to build up and gives you a beautiful ginger burn that induces you to take another drink. It's a sweet & hot ride.

Capt'n Eli's has an advantage over many of the other Ginger Sodas on the market. It is drinkable. Too many of the others try to be a drinking adventure and have enough hot ginger to make the experience unpleasant. That's not the case here, tho. The folks at Shipyard have, once again crafted a beverage which has drinkability as it's number one theme. It is what it says it is...Ginger Beer. And it's pretty darned good Ginger Beer at that!

Ingredients:
Water
Cane Sugar
Natural Ginger Flavour
Citric Acid
Sodium Benzoate

Calories: 165/bottle

Capt'n Eli's gets a 7.5/10

Technorati Tags:
Shipyard Brewing, Capt'n Eli's, Ginger Beer, Soda

Just A Kiss - Bubble Up

2006-05-08T11:31:00.000-04:00

The tag on the green glass bottle conatining Bubble Up reads, "kiss of lemon - kiss of lime" and that's just what you get, a kiss of lemon and lime flavour. Bubble Up is another Monarch beverage licensed out to the folks at Real Soda. Unlike many drinks on the market, Bubble Up has been around for a long time. It pre-dates 7Up by a few years and proudly shows its age on the bottle, "Since 1921". That kind of longetvity deserves recognition, especially since Bubble Up has not succumbed to the HFCS usage that plagues so much of the industry. They make good use of Cane Sugar and take the time to say so on the bottle.

Bubble Up is refreshing and eminently consumable. It has a nice, clean taste with a citric acid bite that is enhanced by the carbonation. You can smell the lemon/lime scent when you open the bottle and the flavour is light, relying on the citric acid to carry the ball. What aftertaste there is is a clean, lemon/lime taste and there is no cloying sweetness to be found anywhere in this Soda.

Bubble Up is a true original and stands out as a winner in the citrus Soda category. I'd buy this again any day of the week, if it were available in my area.

Ingredients:
Carbonated Water
Cane Sugar
Citric Acid
Sodium Citrate
Sodium Benzoate
Flavor Derived From Lemon and Lime Oils

Calories: 160 per bottle (as if we care!)

Bubble Up gets an 8/10

Technorati Tags:
Bubble Up, Soda, Real Soda

Boylan's Cane Cola

2006-04-19T18:36:00.000-04:00

I have been very very impressed with Boylan's Root Beer and Red Birch Beer, so it wasn't a hard to convince myself to try their Natural Cane Cola. I had already had Boylan BottleWorks Cane Cola once before, so I figured I'd try the Natural line version of it. Now, the Bottleworks version of Cane Cola should by all rights be called Cinnamon Cola since that is the dominant flavour in that version. The Natural version is a totally different Soda with a distinctive taste that is all its own.

The Natural Cane Cola has a nice and easily identifiable cola aroma, something too few "cola's" actually have. The carbonation is soft and doesn't add a lot to the equation. The taste is...interesting. It tastes like a cola with lemon or lime added to it, (something I have liked since I was a kid overseas, experiencing Coke with lemon added). The one drawback to adding real citrus, (as Boylan's does) is that it gives the Soda a "flat" quality, despite the carbonation. The citrus element also detracts from the cane aspect, in fact it covers any cane flavour that might be present.

The cinnamon is almost nonexistent compared to the BottleWorks version...and that's a good thing, in my opinion, I didn't care much for that version of the Cane Cola. I enjoyed Boylan's Natural Cane Cola, altho I feel the name is misleading. It really should be called Cola with Limon, or something. If you are looking for a good alternative to the mass produced Cola with Lemon or Lime that is oddly popular now, then you should try Boylan's instead. They do it much better than the "Big Boys" in the Soda community!

The only problem I have with this Cane Cola is...where's the Cane, guys? I can't taste the cane in this one. Other than that, it's a good cola!

Ingredients:
Carbonated Water
Cane Sugar
Pure Essential Oils of Lemon, Lime and Cinnamon
Extracts of Bourbon Vanilla and Cola Nut
Caramel Color (From Cane Sugar)
Other Natural Flavors and Spices
Phosphoric Acid
Caffeine (From Coffee)

Calories:160 per bottle

The folks at Boylan's did a good job on this Natural line product!

Boylan's Natural Cane Cola scores a 6.5/10

Thumbs Down To Thums Up

2006-04-12T14:22:00.000-04:00

I am always willing to try something new and that's exactly what I did with Thums Up, a product of Coca-Cola India. First off, let me state for the record that Thums Up is apparently hugely popular in India...good for them! Now, let me state, again for the record, that this drink will never catch on in the US. It is...well...I guess it is an "acquired" taste and I will never manage to like this Soda. I should have known I was in trouble when there were no ingredients listed on the bottle. I figured it was from the Coke Company so how bad could it be, right?

"Sweetened Carbonated Beverage. Contains Permitted Natural Colour & Added Flavours. Contains No Fruit. Contains Caffeine. Quantity Of Sugar Added 9.9g/100g"

Well, when you open the nice, heavy glass bottle...you do need a church key...you are graced with a nice carbonation hiss. The aroma...well, the aroma is not at all what you would expect from a Soda. I had to rummage around in my spice cabinet and I still couldn't find anything that smelled exactly like it. I guess I would have to say it smelled of cardamom, fenugreek or sandalwood. It tastes just like it smells. Wikipedia says that it is "reminiscent of betel nut", I cannot say, tho as I have never to my knowledge tasted betel nut and my email to the folks at Coca-Cola India, requesting clarification has gone unanswered. All I can say is that Thums Up is bad. It sucks. It puts the "uck" in suck, (apologies to all you Thums fans out there).

I like a wide variety of drinks. Some sweet, some savory, some bitter, some sour and so on, but Thums Up is never, ever going to be on my list of likeable drinks. Not to offend the good folks of the Sub-Continent in any way but this is just not my cuppa Soda and I don't care what the Bollywood endorsers contend, this Soda is just not good. It doesn't matter that they use real sugar in it if I cannot get past the lingering taste and aftertaste of this...product. Thank goodness the world is like 7-Eleven and there's "Freedom of Choice".

Thums Up get a Thumbs Down and a 1/10

Technorati Tags
Thums Up, Coca Cola, India

What's A Fan To Do?

2006-04-06T14:15:00.000-04:00

It seems as if someone is always trying to suck all the joy and livability out of life and the things we love and today is no different, my friends. Many of you may have already seen the headlines in numerous news outlets concerning the presence of benzene in Soft Drinks. As usual there will be many different versions of the tale, as the spinmeisters and their news organisations take the information and rewrite it to suit their particular agenda.

So, what is a fan of Root Beer and Soda to do? Well, first things first....

That's the key now, isn't it? That and wait for some seriously solid numbers and data, which are sorely lacking in this matter. The Environmental Working Group, the folks who are doing the loudest yelling on this issue have some data available that tends to support their claim that benzene could form in drinks under certain conditions. They cite studies from the UK that tend to point towards the formation of benzene in some drinks towards the end of shelf life. Without seeing the data from which they drew their numbers I am unwilling to say whether they have a case or not.

Here's what I do know from reading up on this matter. Benzene may form in some drinks under certain conditions. If a drink contains ascorbic acid and a benzoate (Sodium benzoate or potassium benzoate) and is stored at warm temperatures for long periods of time then benzene MAY form due to the combination of chemicals, time and heat. I also know that this story is being spun. The headlines from all over are saying the benzene is to be found in "soft drinks" and, judging from what I have managed to read on this, the drinks with the highest levels appear to be Juice Drinks, not Sodas and the like.

After taking a look through my treasure trove of Sodas and Root Beers, I can rest easy. Most contain a benzoate, but none contained ascorbic acid. Do not confuse citric acid and phosphoric acid for ascorbic acid...they are different and there is no evidence that either of those two acids add any risk for benzene formation. It's all good!

The British have managed to do as they often do and they gave in to panic and yanked products from store shelves. I would say you should take note of their list of items removed. See a commonality amongst them? Yep. They are, by and large drinks containing ascorbic acid (Vitamin C), mostly in the form of juices. Not Sodas, folks...Fruit Juices and Fruit based drinks. Once again we are seeing panic mongering, agenda driven people maligning Sodas. All I can see from this is that Fruit Drinks may well be hazardous to your health, (I never did trust that Sunny-D stuff).

The industry went out of their way years ago and did a good deal of reformulation to specifically address this issue when it first reared its ugly head in the early 90's. While I have little trust in the FDA and question their motives on almost any given issue this is one time when I will look at the available data and lean towards trusting them and the beverage companies.

So, don't run out and throw your Root Beers, Sodas and the like in the garbage. Refrigerate them, keep them from prolonged exposure to heat and enjoy them at the peak of freshness. Oh, and avoid Fruit Juices....they're apparently really bad for you according to these folks. I think I need a Root Beer and maybe a Soda, too.

Technorati Tags:
Benzene In Soft Drinks, FDA, Environmental Working Group
politics, Health

A Taste Of The Grape

2006-03-19T14:22:00.000-05:00

One of my absolute favourite Sodas when I was a kid was Nehi. Grape, Peach and any of the other flavours would almost certainly be my choice on a hot Southern summer day, especially the Grape Nehi. Man, I can still remember the artificial grape flavour, the citric acid bite that was enhanced by the carbonation. All encased in that thick, ridged bottle with the Nehi Logo, dripping with condensation on a muggy day. I still remember dipping my hand into an ice and water filled cooler in my Uncle Eugene's store in Collinsville, Mississippi during summer visits.

Unfortunately, the Nehi we get now is not one which will inspire such memories in folks who indulge themselves. Somewhere amidst all the buyouts, mergers and reformulations Grape Nehi has lost almost everything that once made it a favourite. Nehi is still made by the Royal Crown Company, (under the supervision of Dr. Pepper/7-Up) but, it is painfully obvious that the new owners of RC, (Cadbury/Schweppes) have allowed a once good drink to deteriorate to swill.

There's no tangy Grape bite, the carbonation does nothing to enhance the flavour and, as with most drinks the HFCS brings nothing to the table in terms of flavourful sweetness. Even the colour is lighter than it should be, especially in comparison to other Grape Sodas such as Crush. It's a sad day in Soda Land, folks....another great has bitten the dust.

What's in Grape Nehi now?

Carbonated Water
High Fructose Corn Syrup And/Or Sugar
Artificial Flavor
Phosphoric And Citric Acid
Potasium Benzoate
Red 40
Blue 1

It's way past time that RC went back into their recipe files and pulled the originals out and started making Soda like they used to. Grape Nehi now is not half the Soda it was then.

Grape Nehi gets a 4/10

Technorati Tags:
Grape Nehi, Soda

Three Of A Kind

2006-02-12T22:33:00.000-05:00

Well, here it is. The Coca-Cola is officially hacking me off for their pointless stupidity. Take a look at this picture. What do you see? Three 24 ounce plastic bottles of Coke. Each with a distinctively different coloured cap. One red, one white and one black. These are all readily available on my grocers shelves right now. At the same time. This is extremely confusing to me because each of these cap colours have, up till now denoted a different brand of Coke. Red for Classic, Black for the new, crappy Coke Zero and White is the cap colour for Diet Coke. Other Coca-Cola brands have different colours. It's a branding factor and one that Coke drinkers use to ID their beverage. Someone has messed with the marketting.

This isn't a case of changing a cap colour for a specific promotion, these lids have no message, no game, nothing. Just different coloured cap.

Why? Anyone out there want to let me know why these changes are happening? I know one set of guys who cannot tell me. The Coke delivery people I have talked to at stores. They have no clue why the change is occurring. A change like this makes a Coke drinker wonder. Are these bottles mislabelled? Miscapped? What? As a consumer the change gives me pause in my purchasing due to that very question. If a change without reason occurs, (like a promotion) then I have to pause and possibly delay my purchase or go elsewhere to see if the brand is correct.

That's precisely what I had to do recently with these Cokes. I am used to the red cap and when I was presented with an entire shelf of black topped Cokes with a couple of red topped far in the back of the shelf I was handed a conundrum. Checking the dates let me know that the black caps were newer and from a different lot, definitely room for some bottling plant error here. I cut my risks and bought the older red caps...better safe than stuck with a bunch of mislabelled Coke Zero.

So, guys and gals at Coca-Cola....get it together. Don't screw with what works. If you have a bunch of new marketing people working for you and they suggested this...fire them. Do it now. Why? Two words for you, people.

New Coke.

'Nuff Said!

A Trip To DogPatch

2006-02-03T13:42:00.000-05:00

Well, the folks down at Al Capp's DogPatch have gone and done it now. They've started exportin' Kickapoo Joy Juice and let me tell you, it certainly brings back the memories. This yellow/green, lemon lime concotion not only takes you back to a better time in soda history it does it via the combined ingredients of HFCS and/or sugar and caffeine. This reminds me of what Mountain Dew used to look and taste like when I was a kid.

The Soda is not overly carbonated but the taste of citrus, from the grapefruit juice and other citrus flavours just comes right out and is enjoyable. I don't particularly care for grapefruit in most forms but this is one I can get behind. It's not too tart and not overly sweet. The most telling thing I can think of to say is that Kickapoo Joy Juice tastes like the 60's. If the people who overproduce Mt. Dew could taste this then they'd know what they should be shooting for.

Kickapoo Joy Juice is being bottled for the US market by the good people at Real Soda under license from Monarch Beverage Co. and this is a darn good partnership as far as I am concerned. Bringing back Real Soda for real people who remember what a Soda should taste like! It is refreshing, as a good soda should be. The bottle itself is a shout out to retro, as well. No twist off cap here, brother. You have to break out an honest to goodness bottle opener to get at this Soda! Nice touch, guys!

The ingredients listed on the bottle are:
Carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup and/or sugar, citric acid, sodium benzoate, concentrated grapefruit juice, caffeine, gum arabic, sodium citrate, natural falvor, EDTA, brominated vegetable oil and yellow 5 and it is 180 calories, if you care about that sort of thing. I don't.

Kickapoo Joy Juice is a blast from the past and well worth the buck or so I shelled out for it. It tastes good from the bottle and in a glass and every sip screams time travel back to a better day in Soda history in my brain. On a hot summer day I'd definitely buy another of these bottles of refreshment over many other Sodas which are currently on the market.

Kickapoo Joy Juice gets a solid 8/10! And that's pretty good!

Boylan's Creamy Red Birch Beer

2006-01-28T15:57:00.000-05:00

Boylan's Creamy Red Birch Beer
"Philly Style"

Ingredients:
Carbonated water
Cane Sugar
Pure Birch Oils
Natural Flavors
Vanilla
Natural Yucca Extract
Vanillin
Citric Acid
Caramel Color
Red 40
Sodium Benzoate (Preserves Freshness)

Some people might say that this particular review belongs over at The Root Beer Blog. Many Root Beer fans class the Birch Beers right alongside Root Beers, due to their similarity in tastesI assume. I'm not one of these folks, while Birch Beer is reminiscent of some Root Beers, and Birch even appears as an ingredient in some Root Beers and Root Beer recipes, I cannot class it as a Root Beer. It is, to me a Soda that tastes similar to a Root Beer but stands on its own as a robust Soda. That's doubly so with Boylan's.

Boylan's Creamy Red Birch Beer is a first for me. This is the first Birch Beer Soda which I have had that I have really enjoyed. It is a tasty beverage. The colour is a bit strange to me but not something that puts me off and it is totally offset by the taste. The taste of the cane comes straight out at you with this soda. And the birch flavour is great, it meshes very well with the vanilla, which is not at all overpowering. This is just a good Soda to kick back with and enjoy. With a formula that's over 100 years old and having the history that it does this is one good Soda!

It's a winner in my book. And, according to the folks at Boylan's Bottle Works the one beverage that kept their company going since the 1930's was their Birch Beer. This makes it a double winner in my book. This kind of longevity bespeaks a fine beverage and good quality. The CEO of Boylan Bottle Works, Mr. Ron Fiorina , who took over his grandfathers business and expanded it to include all of its present lines and has turned the brand from a Northern New Jersey staple into a nationwide premium beverage, has done a superior job of growing their family's product while maintaining premium beverage quality. Too many companies mess that up. The Fiorina's don't. My hat's off to them!

Boylan's Brand, and their Creamy Red Birch Beer are premium brand soda and get a bubbling 8.5/10

Bubbling Up From The Past

2006-01-23T15:01:00.000-05:00

I honestly cannot remember a time when there was not a soda in my life. My dad has been an inveterate Coke drinker since well before I was born, so there were always Cokes at hand. Soda ha scarred me. At the age of 2 or 3 I grabbed a pair of empty Dr. Pepper bottles from a case on my grandfathers porch and whacked them together (to hear the pretty noise I reckon) and managed to step on a shard that almost separated my left heel from my foot. My grandfathers neighbour, Hot Cumberland, who was amazingly enough a deliveryman for 7-Up was the person who drove us to Dr. Rayners office and held me while they sewed me back together. All these decades later I still have the scar to remind me of Dr. Pepper. I will always have the memory of Hot Cumberland dressed in his uniform with the distinctive hat that marked him as a 7-Up Man.

Small Coke bottles always dredge up the memory of a time when littering was not a capital offence. On those memorable long drive we took from whichever base we lived on to whatever destination we had chosen to go to, stopping was a luxury. When, as a young boy, I had to go to the bathroom I was handed a Coke bottle. A bottle which not too long ago had held bubbly, sweet goodness met a new fate. God's help you if you had more than that bottle held in you. Shortly, a window would be rolled down a little farther and that once proud Soda Soldier would join the ranks of future archaeological items along the periphery of the highway. I often wonder if some person ever reclaimed those bottles for the deposit? One thing I did learn from that was that a pitstop was worth considerably more than the deposit on a bottle to my dad, (if it had one).

Mountain Dew, the way it used to me not the swill they pass off as Mountain Dew today was a staple in Eastern Kentucky when we went to visit my grandmother and my dad's relatives. The bottles were green and had the names of the folks who were supposed to have made it embossed on the bottle, along with the great pictures that were so amusing. It was here that I learned that there were people who called Coke and almost any other soda "pop". In the Deep South of Meridian, Mississippi it was always a Coke, or a Co'Cola. Not a "pop". Very disconcerting to run across regional dialects when you're young, eh? I count it as having learned another language.

During my first job Soda was a lifesaver. That first job was hot, wet, dirty, tiring work and it made me want to be a chef. That's right, gentle reader my first real job, while in high school was as a Dish Washer. More professional Chefs started out at a dishtable than vice versa. And I was fortunate to work at an establishment that valued my sanity and health. A night quaffing 2 or 3 pitchers of Coke or Root Beer was not odd for us. To the folks at Sir Walter Raleigh Inn, in Alexandria, VA....my thanks!

Later in life I would continue to run across Sodas in odd places. Miles out in the desert in Egypt you'd run across a boy with a bucket of ice and Sodas, usually 7-Up and Coke. How they knew is beyond me. Doing business with merchants on days when hot tea wasn't in the books...a 7-Up was the deal clincher.

From beginning to the present...Sodas of one sort or another have been there and I see no reason they won't be there far into the future. My future. And yours.

Welcome to the Soda Pop Blog.

I hope you like what you see and read here. If you know of or have a Soda you'd like to see me review let me know! If you disagree with something, let me know! And if you have some vintage digital Soda pictures, send them to me with a history and I'll see about getting them up for ya! I love vintage pictures.

Regardless, drop me line and thanks for dropping in!

Coming Really Soon!

2006-01-16T23:51:00.000-05:00

For the fans of the Root Beer Blog...The Soda Pop Blog.
A place for my to post my take on carbonated drinks other than Root Beers, tell a few stories and maybe even vent.
Please stay tuned!